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thai peanut coconut and pumpkin curry with the world's best rice

I have used real pumpkin countless times for homemade pumpkin soups and purees. I am a huge squash fan. I love butternut squash, spaghetti squash, zucchini-- practically any squash you can think of. But, for some odd reason I have never eaten pumpkin when it wasn't pureed! I just hadn't linked the fact that pumpkins used for Halloween could actually be diced, cooked, and eaten like any of the other squashes. Well, here I present to you a perfect Fall pumpkin curry that will leave your husband sending you text messages (I quote), "That meal you made last night could be one of my most favorite meals ever". Now that's a keeper recipe in my book :).

 I used a small pumpkin pie pumpkin that I got for 25 cents at a cute pumpkin patch on the side of the road. Can't beat that! Local and cheap is the best. The pumpkin can be kind of tricky to cut. Be careful and give yourself plenty of time. It can be a rather tedious task. If this is too difficult, feel free to open a can of pumpkin and use 1 cup. I like LOVE LOVE LOVE squash, so if squash just isn't your thing, feel free to use less in the recipe or just omit it completely! (I won't be offended).

 This is the finished product. Oh how I was in food heaven! I could personally eat curry all day...but curry with naan I could eat it all day AND all night. 

I had so much fun making this rice. It is full of flavor. Made with coconut milk and topped with pomegranate arils and a drizzle of molasses, this rice is so unique. The combination may not sound like your great-grandmas passed down from ten centuries ago coveted recipe, but if you go out of your comfort zone you will love the flavor combination. The rice pairs so well with the peanut and coconut flavors in the curry. This recipe was a hit at my house, and I'm sure it will be at yours. Plus, this recipe is so simple and easy. It's the best!

Pomegranate Coconut Rice
Printable version
Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup jasmine or basmati rice
• 1 cup coconut milk (I used lite)
• 2-3 T molasses (for drizzling)
• 1 cup pomegranate arils

Cooking Directions

1. Add water and coconut milk to a saucepan. Let it come to a low boil and then add the rice. Stir. Cover with a lid and turn stove to low. Let rise cook for ten minutes and then turn off the heat completely. Let sit for 20 minutes. Don't lift the lid at all during that time period. When ready to serve with the curry, mix in the pomegranate arils and drizzle on molasses.

Thai peanut coconut curry with the world's best rice
Printable version
Recipe by Mary Watts

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients

• 1/2 pound boneless chicken breast
• 2 T olive oil
• 4 cups cubed pumpkin
• 1 can coconut milk (I used lite)
• 1/3 cup sweet thai chili sauce
• 2 T red curry paste
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 t ginger
• 2 t curry powder
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/3 cup roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup- 1 cup milk

Cooking Directions

1. While the rice is cooking, make the curry. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the chicken and cook until slightly browned. Add the diced pumpkin, saute for 2 minutes.
2.  Add the coconut milk, chili sauce, curry paste, peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, and curry powder. Let boil for 10-12 minutes. It will thicken. I ended up adding about 3/4 of a cup of milk at the end because it was a little too thick for my liking. Add as much milk as you prefer. Remove from heat and add cilantro and lime juice.
3.  Serve curry over the pomegranate rice. I added some roasted peanuts on top.

birthday adventures

This last weekend I, Nicia, celebrated my 26th birthday, which was so surreal. When did time start going by so fast? I'm not ready for this!

Besides the fact that it has been freaking me out, I had a very lovely day. (:

It started with some yummy crepes.
Growing up, crepes were always a treat (a treat that we got rather frequently). My mom would always make them for my birthday and they are definitely one of my favorites.

We found these little beauties at The Crêpery. The minute we walked in, I fell in love. I felt like I had left Utah and was back in Seattle! It totally has a indie/hippy feel to it. I could have stayed there for hours. 

I tried to capture the feel of it without snapping pictures of people and freaking them out. I will have to post about this place again later on. 

The best part about it? Ben loved it too! I bought a sweet crepe (I haven't gotten used to savory yet) with butter, strawberries & sugar. Ben went with a savory (though it was sweet as well) with eggs, bacon and maple syrup. Both were divine. We will definitely be going back.

Once we wrapped up at the crepery, we made a stop at North Logan's Pumpkin Walk, which was SO darling, and I will post lots more pictures of it later on, but here are a few from our time there. If you are wondering what a 'Pumpkin Walk' is, it is a display of pumpkins that have been decorated in different scenes! I realize that sounds very confusing but it will make much more sense once I post the photos!

And this is one of the many reasons I love my husband. He can be silly with me in any situation. (:

After our pumpkin adventures, we did a bit of shopping. I had an awesome find at Old Navy that I will post about later! Super excited about it. May have already worn it twice (it has been three days). 

In the evening, we had reservations with Ben's parents to go to Le Nonne, a local Italian restaurant that I have been dying to try. I had looked up their menu months ago and was so excited to try their gnocchi. Let me tell you, they did NOT disappoint. IT WAS SO GOOD. I haven't had good gnocchi from a restaurant, ever. And I haven't had fresh gnocchi in over a year so I was long overdue. 

To top it off,  they brought me a free birthday dessert. And no, I do not mean a scoop of ice cream with a candle. I mean my FAVORITE dessert, creme brûlée. I think I found my favorite restaurant in Logan. Delightful.

I should have left the candle in when I took this shot, but I was just so excited to start eating.

After this day, and this dinner, I was stuffed. SUPER stuffed. We had intended to have my extremely tasty Cold Stone ice cream cake (devil's food cake, cake batter ice cream with cookie dough & heath bar, YUM) when we got home, but I couldn't do it. I was too full. 

I did manage popcorn and a chocolate bar a couple hours later though, haha. We ended the evening with X-Men, which was fantastic. I loved it. 

Overall, such a perfect birthday. Ben knows I have a bad history of birthdays but both of my birthdays with him have been spectacular. 

The next day, we enjoyed this lovely: 

Yumm. I love good food.
xx

the perfect pumpkin chocolate chip cookie

I know everyone has their favorite pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe, but there is no way any of them are as good as these bad boys. These seriously are the best pumpkin chocolate chip cookies around. Don't believe me? I dare you to try them and only eat one...there will be your answer! Better yet, dare you to make a batch and bring a plate full to your neighbors without them banging on your door a few minutes later begging for more. Have I convinced you yet? 

 These cookies are so soft and moist. Each bite is oozing with chocolate chips and bursting with pumpkin flavor. Don't even get me started about the brown sugar icing. This icing goes on so smoothly and dries to a perform firm shell. I seriously bet I ate 7 cookies last Sunday when I baked them. I'm telling you, they are hard to stay away from.

 Trust me, it's not just me who thinks these cookies are out-of-this-world yummy. Last year I brought them to a few different cousins on a cold Fall night. Lets just say, I was back a few days later with more. And I'm pretty sure every family reunion from here on out there will be one night designated just for these cookies.

 So if you are in the mood to try a new Fall recipe, I'd highly suggest these cookies. Not only are they lip-smacking delicious, they are super easy. Which is a great combination for those who have busy lives, or just like to stick to foods with common ingredients. So if you are as addicted to pumpkin treats as I am, this post is dedicated to you.

 And may I add in one more thing: if you have a holiday party coming up, I highly suggest bringing these cookies. You may turn out to be the biggest hit at the party :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Printable Version
Recipe by Mary Watts - Just a Nibble

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10-12 min
Yield: 3-4 dozen
Ingredients

• 1 C butter
• 1 C sugar
• 1 C pumpkin (canned)
• 1 egg
• 2 C flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 C chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the pumpkin.
3. Add egg and mix until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined.
6. Use a spoon or spatula to stir in the chocolate chips.*
7. Drop the dough by large tablespoon on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on how cooked you like them.
8. For the frosting, in a medium saucepan, combine the 2 T butter, 3 T milk, and 1/4 C brown sugar over medium heat until the butter is melted and the ingredients are combined. Remove from heat and add 2 C powdered sugar and 1 t. vanilla. Spread the warm frosting over the cooled cookies. If the frosting seems too thick to spread, just add more milk (a little at a time). The frosting will thicken as it cools.
9. *I used semi-sweet mini chocolate chips. Feel free to use any kind of chocolate chips you prefer.

italian stuffed zucchini

We had quite the day yesterday. Our car has been having some trouble and it turns out that it needs a lot more work done than we originally thought. Which is always the case, am I right? Well, Ben and I both needed a way to de-stress. 

Unfortunately, Ben has a few tests coming up, so his de-stress time was really study time. As for me, I took a bubble bath and tried not to think about anything, which is really lovely.

For dinner, I wanted to try something new and different from our usual pasta variations (though we do love those). I had been wanting to try stuffed zucchini for such a long time, especially when I had heard about a recipe found here at An Oregon Cottage. 

I decided to do my own thing, using the original recipe as a base. (If you haven't looked at her blog you should! She is a genius.)

Here is my rendition of stuffed zucchini, Italian style. I really liked the way it turned out, it wasn't Ben's favorite-he said it was too 'zucchini-y', so if that isn't your thing-this may not be for you!

Enjoy!!

Italian Stuffed Zucchini
Printable version
Recipe by Nicia Johnson - Just a Nibble

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

• 4 Small-medium sized zucchini
• 1/2 Yellow onion
• 1 Tomato
• 1 can Sweet corn
• 1 1/4 cup Ricotta cheese
• 1 cup Grated parmesan cheese
• 1 lb Ground turkey
• 1 tbsp Dried basil
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp Parsley
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 1 Egg

Cooking Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash and cut zucchini lengthwise, also cutting off both ends.
3. Steam zucchini faced down in pan filled 1/4 full of water for about 2-3 minutes (not too long because you do not want them to be too soft).
4. Prepare your pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Scoop out the insides of zucchini, making a boat shape, set aside the leftovers in a mixing bowl and lay zucchini in pan.
6. Brown turkey with Italian seasoning.
7. Add onions, cook until they are transparent, remove from heat.
8. Add can of corn to onions & turkey.
9. Chop zucchini leftovers and tomato (can be done by hand or in a food processor).
10. In a mixing bowl, mix ricotta cheese, oregano, basil, parsley, egg, and 1/2 cup of parmesan.
11. Combine turkey mixture and tomato and zucchini to the ricotta bowl and mix well.
12. Place filling inside zucchini bowls.
13. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top of zucchini.
14. Sprinkle the second 1/2 cup of parmesan over zucchini.
15. Place in oven and cook for 35 minutes.
16. Let cool and serve.

anthro treasure and our life in logan

K seriously...it has got to be one of the best feelings in the world to buy something you love AND it is on sale. If any one is crazy and obsessed like me (which I highly doubt), the minute I purchase something and it is in my hands I am in my own little world trying to pair it up with different articles of clothing that are already in my closet. The whole drive home I probably have half a dozen different clothes combinations configured in my head. I wouldn't suggest trying to have a conversation with me right after I buy clothing I really like...I most likely won't even realize you're talking to me! haha.

Anyway, just wanted to post one of my latest purchases. Not only did I get this skirt from one of my favorite stores (Anthropologie), but it was on sale, with an additional sale on top, and another additional sale, etc...which like I said earlier, is CLEARLY the best feeling in the world :). I realized the other day that I have worn this skirt for the past three Sundays with a different top each time and somehow managed to snap a picture of me in it every time. Just FYI, Anthro is having one of those sales right now. That's why I decided I'd better post this today. It is super rare and only happens a few times a year! Jeff sure loves it when this sale occurs, his pockets seem to feel a little lighter... :).

Ben, Nicia, Jeff, and I went to the temple on a beautiful Fall morning. 

Beautiful Utah mountains

To put in a little plug: Anthropologie is my go-to when I am in need of a nice skirt or dress. I still wear some skirts and dresses from Anthropologie that are almost 8 years old! They last forever, are unique, and seem to stay in style for an usually long time.  Sometimes they can be a little pricey, but it is SO worth it for me. Oh how Nicia and I wish we could have everything in the store.

Love me some time with Jeff on Sundays, and loving the fact that Ben and Nicia are right around the corner to spend time and adventure with. LIFE IS GOOD. 

pumpkin patch

Hello. Our names are Mary & Nicia, and yesterday, we went to the pumpkin patch. 

We currently reside in beautiful Logan, Utah, while both of our husbands finish their accounting degrees. Neither of us are ready for the cold winter. But we do enjoy our pumpkins. Growing up, I (Nicia) used to go to the pumpkin patch with my family and search for the pumpkin with the most character. Because I have been living in Hawaii for the past couple years, I haven't made it to a pumpkin patch for quite some time and was SO excited to finally have a chance! 

So now you are probably asking-why Just a Nibble? Why a blog? Well, here is why. We both love food. Creating food, eating food, pretty much anything that pertains to food. We also dabble in fashion, especially fashion that we can buy for a good price! We believe that you can find the best pieces of clothing in the most obscure places (although we do love our Anthropologie sales). So, why would we decide to share our little nibbles of ideas with the world? Well, quite simply, we need a place to put them! And we love to share!

And as you can see, we have wonderful husbands who indulge in our frivolous pumpkin adventures. They are pretty fantastic.

Stay tuned for some of Mary's yummy recipes coming very soon. (: